Portobello Dungeness Crab Soup

Portobello Dungeness Crab Soup

It’s November, which means Dungeness Crab season has opened. The season begins in California each year on the first Saturday of the month and runs until late June. If you’re one of the lucky few that gets to go fishing for Dungeness Crab, remember the ones that give up the biggest fight are the true winners when it comes to picking out just the right one.

First clean / remove the crab meat from the shells making sure to keep all the shells.

In a medium sauce pot, add the chicken stock plus all the crab shells and bring to a boil. Once to a boil turn the heat down to low and allow the crab stock to simmer for 45 minutes. Be careful the heat isn’t too high or the crab stock will reduce too much.

The Mushrooms

Clean the mushrooms. Using a spoon scoop out the gills out from under the mushroom caps. The gills in large quantity create a muddy almost dirty flavor profile. Do not skip this step.

Once the mushrooms are cleaned, chop them into medium sized pieces. Everything will end up in a blender or food processor so knife cuts aren’t important.

Making the Soup

Start by chopping the shallot.

Add 2 tbsp of butter to medium-large skillet and melt then add the shallot and sweat them for 2 minutes. Making sure to keep stirring to help with even cooking.

Next, add in all of the mushrooms and cook them for 6 to 7 minutes. You will notice the mushrooms will give off their water and reduce in size.

Once the mushrooms have reduced in size and given off their water, add in the thyme & a pinch of salt. The salt helps start the flavor party. You’ll still need to add the main salt at the end to taste season and adjust to perfection.

Next, add in half a stick of butter and melt, once melted add in 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour. The flour and butter become a Roux that will thicken the soup. Cook for 2 minutes

Add the cooked mushrooms into a blender or food processor, plus the crab stock. Blend until smooth.

Now taste the soup. Does it need salt? Is it perfect? The chicken stock has a level of salt that may result in you not needing to add any more salt.

You could add some heavy cream to help smoothen out the soup. I did not add any myself as we all agreed it did not need any. Which is very cool for people that are lactose intolerante.

Plating The Soup

In a small pan, warm up some butter and add the crab meat to warn through before plating.

Chef Tip: Place the bowls into a preheated oven for ( 3 minutes). This will help the soup stay warm once served.

Line up your serving bowls. Using a Ladle add the warm soup to each bowl, then in the middle of each bowl nest a large bit of crab meat. Top with minced Tarrogan.

Here are the Five Most Expensive Mushrooms in the World

Portobello Mushrooms are high-quality mushrooms that come at a reasonable price. Have you ever shopped mushroom prices before?

There are some truly expensive mushrooms in the world today. With high-end restaurants competing for what’s available in the market, the end result is higher prices.

#1 Yartsa Gunbu –

Which costs over $2000 an ounce. The long thin mushrooms with round tops are easy to harvest and prized throughout the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau in the altitudes between the 3,000 to 5,000-meter marks. Tibetan men believe the ancient texts which point to the fungus as an aphrodisiac. The best quality Yartsa sells for about $2,000 an ounce. It is considered a symbol of status to afford to eat this mushroom.

#2 European White Truffle ( $3600 a Pound )

European White truffles are the second most expensive mushrooms in the world. What makes truffles so very expensive is that they are difficult to harvest so there are less of them to go around. Truffle hunters search through places like Italy and France seeking the prized delicacy. Matsutake

#3 Matsutake Mushrooms

The Matsutake mushroom is a form of fungi which traditionally signaled the onset of autumn. For many Japanese, it is a delicacy which is treasured for its fruity, spicy aroma. Prices range from $1,000 to $2,000 per pound.

#4 Moral Mushrooms

In some markets around the world, dried Morels have sold for as much as $254 per pound. The dried form is more expensive per pound because the mushrooms are lighter, and it takes many more to make up a pound. The fresh Morels weigh more and can range in price from $30 to $90 per pound. The problem with Morels is that they appear in their own season. In the United States, they are found from late March through May.

#5 Chanterelles

The beautiful golden Chanterelle is prized by gourmands for its spicy flavor. Though the Chanterelles come in white, yellow and orange varieties, the golden color is a favorite. These mushrooms are expensive because they need specific growing conditions. A heavy rainfall followed by several days of heat and humidity are what help them grow best. They crop up in clusters around the end of spring and completely disappear when autumn arrives. They must be completely cooked, as they can make people ill when eaten raw. Dried Chanterelles run about $224 per pound.

The lovely combination of Mushroom and Crab in a perfect marriage. So much flavor and texture you won't even need heavy cream to finish the soup.

Course: Starter or Main Course

Cuisine: French | American

Keyword: Portobello Dungeness Crab Soup

Servings: 4People

Author: Steven Pennington

Ingredients

Dungeness Crab Stock

132ozChicken Stock

2ClustersDungeness Crab| Cleaned + Keep Shells |

The Mushrooms | PICK: Either Or , Cremini or Portobello

25 to 30MushroomsCremini Mushrooms

6MushroomsPortobello Mushrooms

Soup Ingredients

1MediumShallot| Chopped |

1StickButter

CleanedMushrooms| Chopped |

2TbspsAll-Purpose Flour

4SprigsFresh Thyme| 2 tsp Chopped |

1/2tspSea Salt

1/4tspBlack Pepper

1/2CupHeavy CreamOptional

Instructions

Making The Crab Stock

First clean / remove the crab meat from the shells making sure to keep all the shells.

In a medium sauce pot, add the chicken stock plus all the crab shells and bring to a boil. Once to a boil turn the heat down to low and allow the crab stock to simmer for 45 minutes. Be careful the heat isn't too high or the crab stock will reduce too much.

The Mushrooms

Clean the mushrooms. Using a spoon, scoop out the gills out from under the mushroom caps. The gills in large quantity create a muddy almost dirty flavor profile. Do not skip this step.

Once cleaned, chop the mushrooms into medium sized pieces. Everything will end up in a blender or food processor so knife cuts aren't important.

Making the Soup

Start by chopping the shallot.

Add 2 tbsp of butter to medium-large skillet and melt then add the shallot and sweat them for 2 minutes. Making sure to keep stirring to help with even cooking.

Next, add in all of the mushrooms and cook them for 6 to 7 minutes. You will notice the mushrooms will give off their water and reduce in size.

Once the mushrooms have reduced in size and given off their water, add in the thyme & a pinch of salt. The salt helps start the flavor party. You'll still need to add the main salt at the end to taste season and adjust to perfection.

Next, add in half a stick of butter and melt, once melted add in 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour. The flour and butter become a Roux that will thicken the soup. Cook for 2 minutes

Add the cooked mushrooms into a blender or food processor, plus the crab stock. Blend until smooth.

Now taste the soup. Does it need salt? Is it perfect? The chicken stock has a level of salt that may result in you not needing to add any more salt.

You could add some heavy cream to help smoothen out the soup. I did not add any myself as we all agreed it did not need any. Which is very cool for people that are lactose intolerante.

Plating The Soup

In a small pan, warm up some butter and add the crab meat to warn through before plating.

Chef Tip: Place the bowls into a preheated for ( 3 minutes). This will help the soup stay warm once served.

Line up your serving bowls. Using a Ladle add the warm soup to each bowl, then in the middle of each bowl nest a large bit of crab meat. Top with minced Tarrogan.